9C — THE OBSERVER
MONDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2019
2019: YEAR IN REVIEW
The Observer’s top 10 sports stories of 2019
4 — Enterprise girls track
team wins fi rst state title
in thrilling fashion
A state championship secured by
a fraction of a second from an ath-
lete who barely qualifi ed for state.
A Herculean effort from a second
individual who had to overcome
food poisoning just to compete. A
crucial victory in a relay race over a
district rival. Continued dominance
in a second relay race.
These are just a few of the myriad
elements that fell in place for the En-
terprise Outlaws girls track and field
team to finally get what has eluded
it for years — a state trophy. But the
Outlaws didn’t just get any trophy.
They grabbed the state title.
Enterprise swept the relays,
added a vital win in the 100 and
had numerous key efforts to edge
Grant Union by a mere half point
— 64.5 to 64 — to win the 2A girls
state championship at Western
Oregon University in Monmouth.
“They rose up for two days in
a row,” longtime EHS head coach
Dan Moody said. “I was hoping
we would be in the trophies, and
then everything started falling into
place.”
And it all happened, no less, at
Moody’s alma mater.
3 — EOU announces
additions of baseball,
women’s lacrosse
Howard Fetz has been feverishly
advocating for baseball’s return to
Eastern Oregon University.
Fetz, who coached the Mountain-
eers from 1967 to 1987, and several
former EOU players have been
imploring the university to bring
back the sport, which was dropped
13 years ago.
“I believe in it,” Fetz said. “I love
the game. I love the opportunity to
reach kids and adults through the
medium of athletics, and in this
case baseball.”
The efforts have paid off — base-
ball is coming back to Eastern
Oregon University.
The national pastime, which
was cut from EOU in 2006, will
be reinstated, President Tom
Insko announced Oct. 12 at EOU’s
alumni breakfast. The fi rst season
for Mountaineer baseball will be in
2021.
“We’re fortunate that we have
the fi nancial resources to bring
men’s baseball back to Eastern
Oregon University,” he said at the
breakfast, making the statement
with Fetz at his side.
It’s not the only sport Eastern
is adding, either. Insko said the
university will also add what
he described as a sport rising in
popularity, women’s lacrosse. The
inaugural season for the sport will
also be in the spring of 2021.
“It’s an opportunity for EOU to
lead in a new, exciting, emerging
sport, bring that to La Grande
and bring that to a rural commu-
nity,” Insko said of the addition of
lacrosse. “It’s got a rich history in
the East and, to a certain extent,
the Midwest.
“It’s an emerging sport in the
West,” he added. “It’s the fastest
growing youth sport in the na-
tion and has been for a number of
years.”
2 — La Grande softball
repeats as state
champions
The high expectations. The pres-
sure. The target on their backs as
being the defending state champions.
None of that kept the La Grande
Tigers from doing what they in-
tended to do all season — repeat as
state champs.
The Tigers scored four early runs
to build a lead it would never relin-
quish and put a stop to a late rally
Photo by Ben Lonergan/EO Media Group
La Grande’s Spencer Gerst, center, kisses the OSAA trophy Nov. 30 in Hermiston, after the trophy presentation. La Grande defeated Banks
in the 4A state championship game, 21-0, for its fi rst football title in 45 years.
on the way to a 4-2 win over the
Henley Hornets Saturday in the 4A
softball state championship game at
Jane Sanders Stadium in Eugene.
“The expectation of us coming
back (to the championship game)
and to win motivated us to play
well,” junior pitcher Allie Brock said
after a 12-strikeout effort in the win.
“We play really well under pressure,
and I think that contributed to our
performance today.”
The Tigers faced their share of
pressure in Saturday’s title game
rematch against the Hornets, but
none tougher than when Henley
made its fi nal push at the lead in
the sixth inning. Trailing 4-1, the
Hornets opened the sixth with
two straight singles and a fi elder’s
choice, then cut the defi cit to two
runs on an infi eld RBI single by
Lilly Poe — with the top of their
potent offense coming up, bases
loaded and nobody out.
The infi eld met in the pitcher’s
circle to regroup, shake off the
rough start to the frame and — in
the familial sense that has carried
the team all year — encourage
one another through the pressure-
packed moment.
“We just wanted to let each other
know we were all present there men-
tally, that we needed to stay calm
and pull through, and we had a lot of
confi dence in each other,” Brock said.
Junior Jaiden Hafer, who had
two RBIs in the win, said in that
huddle they reminded themselves
that they had one other’s backs and
to take it one play at a time. Brock
even said she had to focus on one
pitch at a time.
One by one, the Tigers’ ace navigat-
ed the top three batters to get out of
the inning with the lead intact. Brock
forced Paige Barnett to pop out to Ja-
cie Howton at second base, struck out
Kylie Melsness for the fourth time,
then induced Kaila Mick to pop out to
Howton to end the threat.
1 — La Grande football
fi nishes perfect season for
fi rst state title since 1974
Eli Leavitt was like many La
Grande Tigers the night of Nov.
30 — unable to fi nd the words to
express being part of a team that
ended a 45-year championship
drought.
“I’m so speechless, man,” the
senior defensive lineman said. “I
want to thank the fans, my team-
Staff photo by Ronald Bond
The La Grande softball team celebrates after receiving the championship trophy June 1 following its 4-2 win
over Henley in the state championship game in Eugene.
mates, the coaches — we came in
with a goal and we got it.”
La Grande used an elite defen-
sive effort to force the defending
Class 4A champion Banks Braves
into four turnovers and held them
to 167 yards — including just 50
in the second half — as the Tigers
blanked the Braves, 21-0, Nov. 30
in front of a raucous pro-La Grande
crowd in Hermiston to win their
fi rst state football title since 1974.
“It feels unbelievable,” said
senior quarterback Parker Robin-
son, who threw two touchdowns in
the title game win. “Especially to
be with the group of guys that I’m
with. They work so hard and put in
the time. I’m so thankful to be with
(this) group of guys.”
La Grande’s defense, which has
been solid all season and even more
so in the playoffs, perhaps saved its
best effort for last. The Tigers (12-0
overall) fl ew around, confound-
ing a Banks team (11-1) that had
scored 56 points in the semifi nals a
week before and shutting down the
Braves’ lethal passing attack.
“We’ve taken great pride in our
defense all year, and I take great
pride in my coaching staff and
coach (Matt) Wolcott and the things
he’s put together for this team,”
head coach Rich McIlmoil said.
Staff photo by Ronald Bond
The Enterprise girls 4x400 relay team of Kyla Hook, Savannah Vaughn,
Shelby Moncrief and Karli Bedard with the state title trophy May 18 after
winning the 2A state title.
It was a new scheme, in fact,
the Tigers drew up for the Braves,
pressuring Banks quarterback
Tanner Shook from multiple angles
and forcing him to throw two
second-half interceptions — one
Nathan Reed took 27 yards for a
touchdown and a 21-0 lead late
in the third quarter — while also
throwing in a heavy dose of nickel
defense with fi ve defensive backs to
slow the Banks’ pass offense.
Happy New Year!
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